GSL NEWS
A monthly newsletter of Grameen Solutions Ltd.
Vol: 1, Issue: 8, November 2008
Chief Editor
Kazi Islam,
Chief Executive Officer
kazi.islam@grameensolutions.com
Authors
Sajjad Hossain
Trainee Business Development
sajjad.hossain@grameensolutions.com
Contributors
Kamrul Hasan
Business Development Associate
kamrul.hasan@grameensolutions.com
Asif Anwar
Associate Manager, Web Marketing Solution
asif.anwar@grameensolutions.com
Nahed Hossain
Business Development Associate
nahed.hossain@grameensolutions.com
Designer
Robiul Alam
Graphics Designer
robiul.alam@grameensolutions.com
Contact Info
Grameen Bank Tower, 12th Floor
Mirpur-2, Dhaka-1216, Bangladesh
Phone: +880 (2) 802-1647
+880 (2) 802-1648
Web: www.grameensolutions.com
Suggestions & Comments
newsletter@grameensolutions.com
NEWS FROM CHAIRMAN’S OFFICE GSL COMPANY NEWS
Dr. Yunus Launches GSL Website Officially
Reuters, New York, USA - More than
1,000 global leaders, including 60 Grameen Solutions Limited (GSL) new website
heads of state and five Nobel Peace (www.grameensolutions.com) has been officially
launched by Dr. Muhammad Yunus during his last
Prize winners, joined former President visit to GSL for the 20th Board Meeting and 9th
Bill Clinton in New York Sept. 24-26, Annual General Meeting (AGM) of Grameen
aiming to develop solutions to some of Solutions. “It is one of the best Board Meeting
the world’s most challenging issues. Grameen Solutions ever had”, Dr. Yunus said. He
also congratulated all of the GSL members for
GE Healthcare Announces Partnership with Grameen excellent performance of the company.
Health to Explore Sustainable Healthcare Delivery Models
for the Developing World
GE Healthcare, a unit of General Electric Company and Grameen
Health, an affiliate of Grameen Bank, the pioneering micro-financing
organization in Bangladesh that shared the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006
for its work to alleviate poverty, announced that they will work
together to identify sustainable models for healthcare delivery in the
developing world.
The partners will jointly evaluate ways to improve Grameen Health’s
existing healthcare delivery systems and primary care clinics in rural
Bangladesh. In the next year, they will identify appropriate business
models that ultimately can be replicated in other countries, addressing During the meeting, CEO submitted GSL’s 2009
the needs of the 4 billion people around the world whose annual plan and also shared its goals for 2010 and 2011.
income is less than $3,000. As part of its commitment to the Board has approved all the key items. CEO also
collaboration, GE Healthcare will test delivery of ultrasound capability thanked all of the GSL members for their
in rural clinics for early detection of abnormalities, especially in the contribution and hardwork.
context of maternal care.
The Progress of Grameen Solutions
“As we address the challenges of global health access, we are pleased Center Projects
to partner with GE Healthcare who shares our belief that solutions to
improving access to healthcare technologies can be socially Grameen Solutions Ltd. has taken the initiative
responsible and sustainable, yet commercially viable,”said Professor to set up the pilot Grameen Solutions Center
Muhammad Yunus. (GSC) in a very short period of time. The
progress of the GSC project is running very
During the next year, the partnership will focus on the following areas: smoothly. The website of the GSC has already
been done. GSC will be providing an
Primary health promotion and disease prevention, the most cost
Information Center, Training Center, Cyber
effective steps in affordable health care
Café, Digital Studio, Consumer Products Sales
Evaluate product, training, workflow, and other capabilities that center and so on. Some of the locations have
would be needed for full deployment of ultrasound capability in been selected to set up the pilot center are,
rural areas Shingair, Shibbari and Mipur in front of the
Developing continuous training programs for nurses, technicians Commerce College. CISCO has committed to
and physicians in the usage of ultrasound help us for the GSC project. GSL will be having
Reviewing operating efficiencies and scope of services (e.g. a meeting with IBM who has also shown interest
telemedicine, mobile health care) at Grameen Health’s Kalyan clinics. for the GSC project. IBM will be visiting all the
selected location for GSC project in November.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), among the
biggest obstacles to improved health outcomes are inadequate health
delivery and financing mechanisms that place the heaviest burden on
the poor and sick, who are the least able to pay.
In addition to its partnership with GE Healthcare, Grameen is
partnering with Pfizer Inc., which will dedicate key employees to
provide technical and advisory support to evaluate Grameen’s existing
healthcare delivery systems in Bangladesh. Grameen is also partnering
with the Mayo Clinic, to improve the training, efficiency, and retention
of staff at existing Grameen Health Kalyan clinics.
http://biz.yahoo.com
 ICT INDUSTRY NEWS:
J
GLOBAL:
Nokia Siemens Says Shipping 4G-Ready Network Gear
NSN said it was the first vendor to do so, and it would deliver fourth-
generation-ready (4G) mobile network hardware to more than 10 major
operators by end 2008. Rival Ericsson was not immediately available for
comment. The gear can be upgraded into much faster Long-Term Evolution
(LTE) technology with just new software -- meaning lower costs for opera-
tors -- starting from latter half of 2009, promising a smoother transition
than third generation, which required steep investments and took years to
gain popularity. LTE promises to make everything from mobile video
sharing to music downloads speedier, but it may not show a visible boost in
sales for the network equipment industry any time soon, as the first
networks are not expected for two years and many operators will wait
longer until the technology matures.
http://tech.yahoo.com
New Ways That Your Cell Phone Could 'Talk' to You
At the User Interface Software and Technology conference, Microsoft
Research will present a number of papers discussing improvements in how
users interact with computers. As the paper notes, portable devices usually
signal their users through vibration, whether it be the "rumble" feature built
into a game controller, or the vibration of a portable phone. The authors of
the paper experimented with two additional methods of transmitting
information: moving a small ball or nub back and forth to simulate a rubbing
motion; and using a similar method to simulate tapping on a user's hand or
finger. In both cases, the voice coil motor of a standard hard drive was used,
as part of a technology the paper's authors dubbed "soundTouch".
http://tech.yahoo.com
The Revolution of Paperless Paper
At Plastic Logic's factory in Dresden, British engineer Dean Baker shows a
new kind of newspaper. What's new about it? There's no paper - it's
electronic. The device looks just like a table mat, it's as light as a magazine.
But onto it you can download hundreds of newspapers and - at the touch of
a button - browse through them quite safely, without elbowing anyone ever
again."It's very robust," says Mr Baker. To prove it he whacks the screen
with his fist. Not a scratch. The machine's so tough, because everything,
from the screen to the electronics inside, is made of plastic. That's why the
electronic newspaper is so light, flexible and revolutionary. Mr Baker
believes the device will help consign ordinary paper to the rubbish bin of
history.
http://news.bbc.co.uk
Scientists to Use Satellite Imagery to Predict Disease Outbreaks
Scientists at the University of Maryland in the US are hoping to predict
disease outbreaks like cholera epidemics four to six weeks before they
actually happen, by looking a satellite imagery. According to a report in
Discovery News, the research could help save lives worldwide, and could
be used to develop other models to predict other seasonal or climate-driven
infectious diseases. Cholera outbreaks usually occur in developing
countries, such as India, Bangladesh and in Afica, although Colwell says
that she's found the bacterium in Eastern U.S. coastal waters as well.
http://in.news.yahoo.com
GSL: PEOPLE & EVENTS
GSL welcomes its new family members with cordial warmth.
October : Sharifun Nahar (Project Support Assistant)
J
BANGLADESH:
Land Phones with Broadband in December
Telecommunica-tions Company Limited will start connecting land phones
with broadband internet connections by December, a senior government
official said. Telecommunications Secretary Iqbal Mahmood told that internet
connections would initially be given to some districts in addition to Dhaka.
Mahmood said 26 telephone exchanges were being prepared for the service.
The state-run company will use Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line or ADSL
technology that helps landline users to access phone and internet on the same
line, a senior BTCL official said.
The users will have to install a modem costing up to Tk 5,000 for the service.
The speedy internet connection will be available for BTCL phone users at a
competitive price. A BTCL official preferring anonymity said users of Dhaka,
Chittagong, Sylhet, Khulna, Rajshahi, Bogra and some other districts would
get broadband internet connection initially.
He said the BTCL would charge less than private companies for the service.
Digital phone users can use dial-up internet without any connection fee. It
charges Tk 0.10 per minute in off-peak hours and Tk 0.15 during peak hours
or Tk 6 and Tk 9 per hour respectively.
http://www.bdnews24.com
IT Tower to be Set up in Chittagong
The government has decided to construct an Information Technology (IT)
Tower with necessary infrastructures and modern facilities to give the huge
prospect of IT sector a material shape.
The tower will create scope for setting up software to produce computer
software alongside providing IT-enabled service and e-commerce like hi-tech
facilities, sources said. It would help set up computer hardware industry to
create a market of IT sector as well, they added.
Chittagong Development Authority (CDA) has already started preparing the
Development Project Proposal (DPP) in this regard, sources said. The govern-
ment decided to construct the IT tower following the report of a six-member
committee that carried out feasibility study and assessed different aspects,
including site selection and budget for the project.
The committee submitted its report with a location map (schematic diagram)
of three primarily possible sites for the IT tower. The IT tower will help people
reap the benefit of the submarine communication cable, develop human
resources, create job opportunity and earn the government huge revenue from
the potential IT sector.
It would also help set up IT software, IT software-enabled industry and IT
hardware industry to produce and sell computer software, IT- enabled service
as well as computer hardware, they said. IT hardware industry would create
scope for computer assembling and manufacture of computer monitors,
printers, scanners, modems, switches, networking equipment, UPS, mobile
sets, batteries, ATM machines LAN cables and spare parts to meet domestic
demand saving foreign currency and earn revenue from their export as well.
The tower will be set up under public-private partnership. A rich call centre
will be set up through outsourcing for the growth of IT software-enabled
services like data processing and other technologies.
It would contribute to developing human resources and create jobs for around
20,000 people here. The six-member committee selected 0.84 acres of land to
the south-east as the best site for the IT Tower. The existing building of
Stadium Shopping Complex could be remodeled and included into the
structure for IT tower, the committee report said.
http://www.thedailystar.com